Ball flush valve



Dec. 9, 1958 o. J. BENNETT 2,863,154,

BALL FLUSH VALVE Filed June 25 1956 m fix lr I INVENTOR. Orvan J. Bennett. BY Whifehe0d,Vogl 8 Lowe Y J PER M 505,40

ATTORNEYS.

, 2,863,154 Patented Dec. 9, 1958 BALL FLUSH VALVE tltrvan ll. Bennett, Fort Lupton, Colo.

Application Tune 25, 19%, Serial No. 593,771

a tliairns. (6i. 4-57) This invention relates to water closet tanks and more particularly to the flush valves therefor, it being a primary object of the invention to provide a novel and improved flush valve lifting mechanism for a water closet tank.

Specific objects of the invention are to provide a novel and improved flush valve lifting mechanism for a water closet tank which: (:1) permits the use of a spherical flush valve body which will accurately seat for a closure at any of a plurality of positions and thereby give a maximum service life by avoiding undue wear at any particular seating position; (b) permits the use of a simple lift cord connecting the valve body with the conventional water closet tank lift lever; (c) incorporates in conjunction with the use of a simple lift cord for lifting the flush valve a control adapted to restrict the movement of the valve body and direct the valve body to return to its seat as the tank is drained; (d) combines with a simple valve lifting cord a control adapted to restrict and guide the valve body to its seat regardless of the manner of the swirl of water when the water is flowing from the tank; and while the valve body is floating downwardly into position; (2) assures a long period of trouble-free operation by eliminating conventional guides and alignment means in the lifting mechanism; and (f) is exceedingly simple in construction, easy to use and replace, adapted for use with any conventional type of water closet tank and provides a low cost, neat appearing, rugged and durable unit.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, all of which more fully hereinafter appear, my invention comprises certain novel and improved constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts and elements as hereinafter described and as defined in the appended claims and illustrated in preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a perspective ,view of a water closet tank and bowl connected thereto, with portions of the tank broken away to show constructions otherwise hidden from view.

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation view of the tank, as taken substantially on the indicated line 22 at Fig. 1 but on a somewhat enlarged scale and showing the tank as being filled with water preliminary to a flushing operation.

Figure 3 is the fragmentary detail, partially in section, as viewed substantially from the indicated line 33 at Fig. 2 but on an enlarged scale.

Figure 4 is a sectional view as taken from the indicated line 4-4 at Fig. 3.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the construction of an element per se incorporated into and forming part of my invention.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary detail similar to Fig. 3 but on a reduced scale and somewhat diagrammatic in nature iilustratinr two phases of the operation of the apparatus, one press being shown with the flush valve body and water surface in solid lines and the other phase being nular seat 18, the passage way intake.

shown with the valve body and water surface in broken lines.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary detail as viewed from the indicated arrow 7 at Fig. 6, illustrating a phase of operation with the tank being partially drainedof water, the valve body floating and illustrating further, the manner of lateral restriction of the valve body in accordance with the principles of the invention.

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic plan view of a portion of the tank outlet per se, as would appear if viewed from the indicated line 4-4 at Fig. 3 without the improved apparatus; thereby, Figure 8 representing a typical flow in the tank, the arrows indicating a vortex type of flow which often occurs in such tanks.

The function and operation of a Water closet tank flush valve is to permit a rapid discharge of the water from the tank and then to automatically close to permit the tank to refill. In conventional apparatus, the flush valve outlet is located in the bottom of the tank and is normally closed by a ball or body which is sufficiently buoyant to float when not held against the seat by water pressure. The mode of operation is to lift the flush valve body off its seat at the outlet and to then float the body sufficiently above the outlet so that it will not return to its seat until the tank is practically empty. The flow of water from such a tank is not always completely smooth, and it may pulsate, form vortices, or follow any one of several erratic patterns. This naturally effects the positioning of the valve body and tends to cause various troubles with the valve operating mechanisms, such as sticking and misalignment of the body. Because of this and other factors, such as corrosion, conventional flush valve mechanisms will fail to function properly and will require maintenance. Therefore, there is a real and definite need for a trouble-free outlet mechanism, and the present invention was conceived and developed to provide for a novel and improved flush valve arrangement in a water closet tank which is of utmost simplicity of construction, all as hereinafter described in detail.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the improved valve is adapted to be installed in an ordinary rectangular shaped water closet tank 10 of the type which is placed behind and above a closet bowl ll and connected thereto by a discharge pipe 12. The pipe 12 extends from the bottom of the tank to the bowl all in a conventional manner. Other conventional mechanisms required for the operation of the tank include a water intake line 13 which extends upwardly into the tank to terminate at a check valve 14. When the tank is full of water, this valve 14 is operatively closed by a float 15 attached thereto by an arm 16.

The discharge pipe 12 connects with a casting 17 at the floor of the Water tank 10 and the passageway defined by the pipe 12 extends upwardly through the casting and through the bottom of the tank to terminate as an an The intake is a sufficient distance above the bottom of the tank to provicle clearance for a narrow lateral passage 19 in the casting 17 to an overflow pipe 20 which upstands from the casting 17 at one side of the discharge pipe 12. The casting 17 is made in a standard manner with the stand pipe 2d a set distance from the intake and with such rigidity as to permit the mounting of elements therein as hereinafter described.

The flush valve includes a spherical body 21 which is adapted to rest upon the seat 18 when closed and to be lifted from the seat for opening by the upward movement of a lever arm 22 near the top of the tank which is so moved by the manipulation of a handle 23 exteriorly of the tank all in a conventional manner. To be adapted for my invention this lever arm 21 is positioned directly above the seat 17 and includes a connecting pin 24 or 3 the like near its end which is substantially aligned with the vertical axis of the annular seat.

The flush valve body 21 is preferably formed as a smooth surfaced sphere of resilient, buoyant material which is of suflicient diameter to rest upon the seat 13 to close the tank. The smooth surface combined with its resiliency assures a tight leakproof seal when the body is on the seat 18. To provide for such necessary rigidity, smoothness and buoyance, this body 21 is preferably made of sponge rubber or any like closed-cell type sponge like material having a smooth surface skin.

This body 21 is connected to and suspended from the lever arm 22 by a pliable cord 25 which may be of any type of non-stretchable, Water-resistant material or a rust-proof flexible wire or chain or the like. The top end of the cord 25 is connected to the pin 24 of the lever arm 22. The bottom end of this cord is affixed to the body 21 by inserting it into the body as illustrated in the drawing or by providing a connective hook, anchor or the like, not shown, at the body to which the cord may be attached.

This simple connection of the valve body 21 with the lever arm 22 by the cord 25 is very inexpensive and re quires substantially no maintenance. The flushing operation is commenced by simply lifting the lever arm 22 to lift the body 21 from its seat 18, and as soon as the body is lifted from the seat, it commences to float. However, this simple arrangement by itself will not operate satisfactorily because the body will not always return to its seat to close the tank. The flow of water through the outlet is erratic and various currents will not permit the body 21 to properly return to its position upon the seat. For example, the flow into the outlet may form a vortex or swirl with water moving as in the direction of the indicated arrows at Fig. 8. Such flow will tend to wrap the body 21 about the overflow pipe 21 and prevent the body from returning to its seat. The tank will then simply drain, and the valve 14 will flow continuously. Likewise, any erratic or pulsating flow will cause the body to drop upon the floor of the Water tank alongside the seat with the same result.

The present invention lies in combining the simple cordattached arrangement of the body 21 with a flexible restraining arm 26 which may be conveniently affixed to the adjacent overflow pipe 20 or to an equivalent rigid standard if the overflow pipe is not conveniently located adjacent to the outlet to outstand therefrom and hold the cord 25 at a selected point above, but not in contact with, the body 21 to provide for a connective reach 25a of the cord 25 between the body 21 and arm 26. This arm 26 is preferably formed as a flat band of resilient material such as rubber and having a thickness and rigidity such as to hold itself in a cantilevered position but to be yieldable to the weight of the body 21 connected thereto by the cord reach 25a. For use on a standard 2-inch outlet having a one-inch overflow pipe upstanding from the casting 17 and using a 2% inch diameter body 21, it was found that a flexible arm 26 1% inches Wide, A; inch thick and approximately 4 inches long, which was made of a good grade of rubber, was satisfactory for the purpose. it is obvious that one skilled in the art can easily vary the proportions for arm 26 to obtain effective operation with other size outlets as in the manner hereinafter described.

A transverse slot or oval shaped orifice 27 is cut in the arm 26 near one end thereof so that the arm may be threaded upon the overflow pipe 20. The transverse length of the slot is somewhat smaller than the diameter of the pipe 21 to provide for a tight fit and the marginal. portions 28 and the tab end portion 29 are of sulficient width to form a substantial seating ring about the pipe.

The manner of placing the arm upon the overflow pipe to cause it to eflectively outstand from the pipe is illustrated at Fig. 3. It is desirable that the transverse elements of the flat surface of the arm lie substantially horizontally and that the arm be normally directed at an upward inclination from the overflow pipe 20 to per mit it to be resiliently pulled or arched downwardly by the weight of the body 21. To accomplish this, the slotshaped orifice 27 causes the surfaces of the arm to be turned to lie against the surface of the pipe and the upper surface of the arm is turned against the surface of the pipe while the under-surface of the tab end 29 is turned against the surface of the pipe with an inversion at the marginal portions 28. This simple arrangement with the slot shaped orifice 27 thereby eliminates an expensive fitting which would otherwise be necessary for holding the arm outwardly from the pipe 24 at the desired angle.

A small slit 31) is cut in the arm 26 near the end opposite the orifice 27 and the cord 25 is threaded through this slit to the desired operative position, approximately one ball diameter above the body 21. It is contemplated that the resilience and tightness of the slit 30 will be suflicient to hold the cord 25 in position; however, should it be necessary, the cord 25 may be secured in proper position in the slit by knotting it, by stitching or in any other conventional manner.

The operation of the invention is of utmost simplicity. The operator simply turns the handle 23 to lift the lever 22 to thereby lift the body 21. The tank, being initially filled, commences to drain through the outlet 12 while at the same time the body 21 rises to the water surface or rises to the extent permitted by the reach of the arm 26 and the cord reach 25a between the arm and the body, all in the manner clearly illustrated by solid lines at Fig. 6.

As the tank is drained, the upward pressure of the arm 26 restricts the body 21 from swirling and keeps it within range of the outlet seat 18, as illustrated in the broken lines at Fig. 6 and at Fig. 7. The width of the arm is such as to cause it to resist lateral movements and to hold it in place to resist swirling and vortex flow which would tend to wrap the body 21 about the pipe 20 or throw it out of alignment with the outlet. As the water surface is lowered to the point where the suction draws the body onto the seat, the upward restraint of the arm 26 on the body becomes such as to place it substantially over the outlet. The setting and positioning of the arm 26 to most effectively accomplish this purpose is not at all a precise operation and a few experiments with the arm about a ball diameter above the body 21 and with a like cord reach 25a will quickly show the best operative position.

Another advantage of the arm occurs when the operator turns the handle 23 with such suddenness as to cause the body 21 to snap from its seat. Such snapping movements often throw a conventional apparatus out of adjustment, but in the invention, the resilient arm simply checks the movement of the body.

While I have described my invention in detail, it is obvious that others skilled in the art can devise and build alternate and equivalent constructions which are within the scope and spirit of my invention, and it is therefore my desire that my protection be limited, not by the constructions illustrated and described but only by the proper scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with a water closet tank having a discharge pipe from its bottom with the upper rim of the pipe terminating as an annular seat within the tank and near the bottom thereof, a lifting lever over the seat within the tank a substantial distance above the seat and an upstanding overflow pipe within the tank adjacent to the seat; of a spherical surfaced floatable seating body adapted to be positioned upon the seat for closure of the discharge pipe, a pliable non-stretchable cord interconnecting the body and lever whereby to lift the body from the seat responsive to upward movement of the lever and a resilient laterally stiffened restraining arm having one end vertically affixed to the overflow pipe to outstand therefrom and having the other end arched over in a bend and attached to the cord above the body to provide for a cord reach between the arm and body whereby to permit the body to float at the water surface above the seat and above the arm when the tank is being drained and to hold the floating body at the water surface above the seat as the water surface lowers to the bottom of the tank.

2. In the combination defined in claim 1, said restrain" ing arm being an elastic member adapted to flex in vertical and lateral directions, with the flexure force in the vertical direction being substantially less than the flexure force in the lateral direction.

3. In the combination defined in claim 1, said restraining arm being an elastic flat band adapted to be affixed to the overflow pipe with the transverse elements of the flat surface being substantially horizontal.

4. The combination defined in claim 1 wherein said restraining arm is a resilient flat band affixed to the overflow pipe with the transverse elements of the flat surface being substantially horizontal and with the band normally outstanding from the overflow pipe for connection of its end with the cord at a point on the cord below the reach of the band whereby to hold the cord under tension when the body is seated upon the outlet.

5. In combination with a lifting lever and a pliable non-stretchable cord attached thereto, for a water closet tank having a discharge pipe from its bottom with the upper rim of the pipe terminating as an annular seat within the tank and near the bottom thereof, a floatable spherical-like body attached to the cord and adapted to be positioned upon the seat for closure of the discharge pipe and to be lifted from the seat responsive to upward movement of the lever, and an upstanding overflow pipe within the tank adjacent to the seat; a resilient restraining arm formed as a flat strip of rubber-like material substantially as wide as the overflow pipe and having sufficient thickness to cantilever from one end thereof, a split in one end adapted to be affixed to the cord, and a transversely elongate opening at the opposite end adapted to permit the arm to be threaded upon the overflow pipe to hold the end of the arm flatly against the overflow pipe in an upward direction to permit the arm to resiliently arch over with upward tension at the cord attached end.

6. A flush valve for a closet water tank of the type having a discharge pipe from its bottom. with the upper rim of the pipe terminating as an annular seat within the tank and near the bottom thereof, a lifting lever over the seat within the tank a substantial distance above the seat, and an overflow pipe or like rigid member adjacent to the seat within the tank, comprising a floatable, spherical-like body adapted to be positioned upon the seat, a pliable, non-stretchable cord attached to the body and adapted to be connected to the lift lever, and a resilient restraining arm formed as a flat strip of rubber-like ma terial substantially as wide as the overflow pipe and having suflicient thickness to cantilever from one end thereof, means at one end of the arm for attaching said arm to the cord and means at the opposite end of the arm adapted to permit the arm to be attached to the overflow pipe with the end of the arm being held flatly against the pipe in an upward direction to permit the arm to resiliently arch over with upward tension at the cord-attached end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,598,967 Bennett June 3, 1952 2,629,879 Bennett Mar. 3, 1953 2,731,646 Hughes Jan. 24, 1956 2,767,406 Bennett Oct. 23, 1956 

